Reuben Foster Commits to Alabama: He Will Anchor Best LB Corps in Tide History

Reuben Foster has led some of college football’s most elite programs on a roller-coaster ride over the past few months. Foster decommitted from onetime favorite Auburn in December, and he has been touring the country ever since.

He announced his intentions to sign with Alabama on Fox Sports South's The NEW College Football Show, giving the Crimson Tide the second pledge of his recruitment.

Foster is the No. 1 inside linebacker and the No. 6 overall prospect in the country, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

Foster joins a stacked group of talented linebackers, arguably creating the best linebacker corps in Alabama history.

The Tide have always had top-level players at the position. Most recently, Courtney Upshaw and Dont'aHightower played together, creating a dangerous tandem that landed in the NFL. But the number of playmakers at the position has never been better.

Alabama has C.J. Moseley, Trey DePriest, Adrian Hubbard and Xzavier Dickson all returning. The Tide also have Jonathan Allen and Walker Jones committed at linebacker in the 2013 class.

Nico Johnson is the only player who doesn’t return from the 2012 starting linebacker unit.

With Alabama adding Reuben Foster, this class will have three linebackers committed for 2013, and Allen and Foster can be immediate contributors.

Foster is a bulldog of a linebacker, hunting down and tearing through ball-carriers. He has great field vision, is able to shed blocks with ease and will be able to help continue the strong run-stopping tradition of the Alabama defense.

There will need to be time spent developing his skills against the pass, but he will be able to serve as a blitz-option or zone-coverage player if he gets caught in a pass-defense situation in his first few years.

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This class doesn’t have a more instinctual linebacker prospect. His ability to sniff out the ball-carrier in traffic makes him a special talent and will help him earn early time on special teams.

He has the size to make an immediate impact at 6’1”, 240 pounds, and he will be an immediate part of the Alabama defense from the inside position.

The Crimson Tide received great production from the returning four last year, finishing with the No. 1 rushing, scoring and total defense. The group also helped Alabama finish with the No. 7 pass defense in the country in 2012.

This will be the best linebacker group in the country in 2013 with Foster on board. It also should be the most productive.